


I'm Thinking of Dessert

by LadySalamander



Series: Summer Gladnis Week 2019 [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Berry Picking, Fluff, Ignis is thirsty AF, Iris Ships It, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 08:50:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20273227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySalamander/pseuds/LadySalamander
Summary: Gladnis Summer Week Day 5: picking blueberries; idyllic, muggyIris sets her brother up on a berry picking date with the prince's adviser. And it is a date! It counts, even if they don't, you know, know they're on one.





	I'm Thinking of Dessert

“Uh, pancakes. Waffles.”

“That’s too easy. Ice cream.”

“Uh, I’ve never actually seen blueberry ice cream, but I’d eat it if I did. Pie.”

“You’re still being easy.”

“Yeah but I like blueberry pie.”

“So you thought if you put the idea in my head, there might be blueberry pie in your near future.”

“Is it working?” Gladio presented Ignis with his most winning smile, hoping to sweeten the pot.

“I’d rather have pancakes,” grumbled Noct from behind them.

“Shhh!” hissed Iris. “You don’t want to ruin the moment!”

“What moment, they’re talking about food. Ignis always talks about food.” Iris pouted.

“You know what I’m talking about.” Noct yawned. It was way too early and way too hot and way too early for it to be this hot, and yet they were still outside, in a field, baskets swinging from their fingers, because _somebody_ promised Ignis there would be fresh blueberries ripe for the picking.

“Enlighten me,” said Noct. Iris continued to pout.

“They’re on a date, Your Royal Cluelessness!” Noct looked from Ignis, to Gladiolus, then to Iris once again.

“Do they _know_ they’re on a date?” he asked. “Or did you ask them to come berry picking just to get them alone together? Iris said nothing, cheeks puffed out like she was about to burst, but her silence said everything. Ignis and Gladio continued their little game, listing all the things they could think of made with blueberries.

“Salads,” said Ignis.

“Salad _dressing_,” said Gladio.

“Ooh! There you go! Now you’re thinking outside the box,” said Ignis, a smile on his face.

“‘S better than grinding up a salad and calling it a smoothie.”

“You didn’t!”

“Well not really! But I thought, spinach and blueberries and almonds, supposed to be all good for you right?” Ignis threw back his head and laughed.

“See!” hissed Iris, unable to hold herself back any longer. “Look how they are when they’re together like that!”

“How what?” asked Noct.

“How … cute! How much they _obviously_ like each other!” Noct looked back at his retainers. They both looked like they were having a good time. They were smiling and laughing, walking with a spring in their step.

“I mean, Gladio’s just being a dumbass, as usual.”

“Come on! There’s no way he would tell _you_ that stuff, or Dad. Dad would just figured it out. He’s telling Ignis because he wants to say things that make Ignis laugh.”

“Yeah but, if he liked Ignis, like, like liked him, wouldn’t he want to say things to impress him?”

“Tea,” said Gladio.

“And scones to go with it,” Ignis agreed. “There’s a place on King’s College Road by the university that makes excellent blueberry lemon scones. I would like to go back and try them again, see if I can get a better idea of the recipe.”

“Yeah?” said Gladio. “We should go sometime.”

“I thought that too,” said Iris. “I really thought about it, right?”

“Uh huh,” Noct replied. He wanted to get to the blueberries already, he was getting hungry.

“He must not care,” Iris went on, “about impressing Ignis, I mean. Or like, he’s thinking more about seeing him laugh then he is about making himself look good.” That didn’t seem like a very Gladio thing in Noctis’ books. He preened like hell when he was trying to get a date, even if preening for Gladio meant coincidentally showing up shirtless and just the right amount of sweaty. Then again, thought Noct, if one wanted to look good for someone like Ignis, who saw them in all states all the time at training anyway, they would probably put on their nice short sleeved henley and carry what Noct liked to call Ignis’ worrywort bag, the backpack containing their water, sunscreen etcetera. Which was exactly what Gladio was doing now. Plus that henley looked like it was an entire size too small; there was no way they were designed to fit that tightly. 

“You’ve seen him do this a lot, then,” Noct said to Iris.

“Only like, every time they’re near each other.”

“What about Ignis?” Iris stalled.

“What?”

“Cheesecake,” said Gladio.

“You’re being easy again,” Ignis accused. 

"Hey," Gladio protested. "No one ever said I was easy."

"No, but you assume I'm easy and that I'll make you dessert."

"I can't think of anything else blueberries really go in that's not dessert."

"I saw a recipe for blueberry pork chops once," Ignis mused.

"Gross!" Noct interjected loudly from the back.

"Aw come on, live a little!" Said Gladio. They finally arrived at the blueberry patch. Not far away, beyond a line of trees, the wall shimmered in the morning heat.

“Oh, hey, look Noct!” cried Iris, grabbing his arm. “There’s a nice big patch over here!”

“Nyeh!” said Noct as she dragged him to a bush about 20 feet from Ignis and her brother. Man she was strong for a thirteen year old. “If you want them to get together, don’t you think they should be, I dunno, left alone? Like, they’re not gonna do anything while we’re here.”

“That’s why we’re over here, not over there!”

“They still _know_ we’re here, Iris.” Iris began plucking berries and dumping them in her little basket, one eye fixed on Gladio and Ignis. Noct rolled his eyes and began picking as well, though quite a bit more made their way to his mouth. He could still hear Gladio and Ignis chatting with each other. Gladio unslung the worrywort bag from his back and dug around for a water bottle while they Ignis picked blueberries with the same care he took picking any kind of produce at the market, only they were tiny and there were a lot more of them.

"Anyway," Noct continued, quieter now, "what does Ignis do that makes you think they'd be so good as a _couple_?"

"Well…" Iris mused, "he does laugh at Gladdy's stupid jokes. "And sometimes he does this … thing."

"This thing, huh."

"Where he looks at Gladdy like … like that!" She tapped Noct's arm frantically, pointing at Ignis. He was looking at Gladio, who was drinking deeply from the water bottle, quaffing the contents so that his adams apple bobbed and rivulets of water spilled down his cheek. Ignis watched him with absolute rapture, unable to tear his eyes away, like a man dying of thirst in the desert eyes the oasis. Gladio finished and Ignis tore himself away, unconsciously wetting his lips.

"How about wine?" Ignis suggested, obviously trying to wrench his brain back to the present. "I would love to try some blueberry wine. Or cider? One can't really chill a red, and a cold drink would be rather delightful."

Ignis accepted the water bottle from Gladio, a small smile gracing his lips as he took a drink. Iris had to stop herself from shrieking, grabbing onto Noctis’ arm again and shaking him.

“Indirect kiiis!” she squealed, her voice breathy so as not to be heard. "So we agree, right?" Iris whispered. "We have to get them together! We have to get them to see it!"

“I think I saw sausage with blueberries at the market once,” Gladio was saying. “Speaking of, we should make a trip if we’re going to make something.” He popped a few berries in his mouth. “Mm, these are good. Not too sour. Try some.” He held one out to Ignis, not Here, take one from my hand, but right up to the surprised bow of Ignis’ lips. And Ignis, whose hands were full, had no choice but to take the proffered treat gently between his lips.

“Honestly,” said Noctis, “as _absolutely gross_ as this is to think about, I don’t think they need our help. Give it some time, they’ll figure it out.”


End file.
